Page 48 of Two Chambered Heart

“And you believe that?” Jason’s temper was flaring right along with Kayden’s.

“She’s had a rough go—”

“Yeah? So have we.” Jason’s voice had hardened again. Kayden could see him frantically trying to rebuild his walls, brick by brick.

“She feels safe here.”

“I don’t really care what she feels. If she gets any information on us, she could blow this whole thing up, everything we’ve worked for.”

“How?” Kayden argued. “What could she possibly do?”

Jason turned away from his brother, focusing back on the movie that was still playing. He didn’t have a good answer to Kayden’s questions, because the reality was that Corey could do nothing to harm them. But it seemed like Jason was still trying to hold on to that narrative. It would be easier for him to keep her at arm’s length that way.

“You’ve fallen for her,” Jason said after a moment. Kayden couldn’t tell if it was an accusation or if he was just stating the truth.

“So have you.”

Jason scoffed. “She’s just some girl, man. She’s nothing. We should have offed her weeks ago when no one came looking, but you said no. Now you’ve just made it harder for yourself when we do inevitably have to delete her.” More bricks to try to secure his walls.

Kayden wanted to scream that they would not bedeletingher, but he lifted his eyebrow at his brother instead, gripping at patience. “Dude, you bought her shoes.”

“Just so she could go running with you.”

“She already had shoes for that.”

“Well, they were shitty.”

Kayden rolled his eyes, releasing his building anger. Jason was making his point for him, but he was either truly denying it to himself or unable toadmit it out loud just yet. Kayden saw the way he watched her, and it was just as intently as he did himself. She was taking his walls down piece by piece, and it was only by sheer force of will that Jason was holding them up after every interaction. She brought out a lighter side of Jason, the Jason that teased and joked andlaughed. And god, his brother laughing in joy and not in malice was a sound he never thought he’d hear again.

He also saw Corey watching Jason right back, tracking his movements, the angry way he moved around the house, always with his shirt off, how she focused on his mouth when he was speaking, when he was leering at her. Corey was competitive, and Kayden didn’t doubt that the challenge had Corey’s attention. She would want to win over this difficult man.

Credits rolled across the television screen. The second movie he’d barely watched today.

Jason’s slow breathing mingled with Corey’s as Kayden turned off the TV.

They were both asleep on the couch, close enough that if one of them reached out their arm, they would be touching. And he wanted that more than anything.

Kayden draped their only throw blanket over Corey. Jason looked cozy enough in his sweatsuit, but they would need to buy another blanket. It wasn’t in either of their habits to fall asleep on the couch. Kayden cleared off the coffee table, stuffing the empty boxes and containers in the plastic bags and dumping them in the kitchen trash before taking himself up to bed, feeling only a little sulky that he’d be sleeping alone.

Chapter twenty-one

- Corey -

Screaming startled Corey from her sleep. She looked around the living room in the dim light, heart racing. The TV was off and only Jason was on the couch with her. She must have fallen asleep here before the movie ended. Kayden had clearly gone upstairs to bed, since he was nowhere to be found.

Jason let out another pained yell, eyes screwed shut, and he flung out his arm like he was trying to bat someone away.

“Jason?” Corey whispered. It wasn’t enough to rouse him from his sleep.

She crawled over to him on the couch, shaking him by the shoulders. “Hey, wake up.”

He thrashed in her grip, releasing a low growl.

“Jason, it’s just a dream.” She shook him harder. “Come on, wake up.”

He whimpered under her. Corey didn’t know how to wake him up other than to interlace her fingers with his and hold him through it.

It did the trick and Jason jolted awake suddenly, wide-eyed and disoriented. He grabbed onto her arm, holding it close to his shaking body and clinging to her. He looked terrified.

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